Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, winter 2022

The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion continues to further realize its goal of operationalizing the institutional initiatives as well as our community outreach efforts. To date, we align ourselves to the Road Map, which serves as a primer for success. Our internal and external partnerships serve as an example of our work. For example, our partnership with the Southern Tier Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club and others help to brand the University as an important voice and thought leader in the Binghamton community, particularly around topics of diversity and building cultural competency. Additionally, serving as host for an Mpox Vaccine Clinic with the Southern Tier AIDS Program (STAP) and the Broome County Health Department further demonstrates our outreach efforts to address healthcare access to those often ignored or marginalized; those in the LGBTQ communities.

As the academic year progresses, we will continue to examine ways to make certain diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging are intrinsically embedded into the fabric of the University; in our recruitment practices of faculty, staff and students as well as with our external partnerships and how we engage with others to ensure mutual benefit. The use of data (i.e., surveys, Affirmative Action Plan) will continue to inform our work, helping us to make thoughtful and impactful programmatic decisions.

We were fortunate to welcome new staff to the division this quarter: Pamela de Bourg, as our diversity, equity and inclusion/affirmative action coordinator; Aiden Braun as Q Center coordinator; and Samuel Bligen III as assistant director of operations and student engagement for the Multicultural Resource Center. We are looking forward to the contributions each will make, not only to the division, but to the institution as a whole.

DEI Administrative Office

During this quarter, DEI worked with the Office of Human Resources and the Office of the Provost to launch search pools for recruitment. For example, there were 108 searches opened for positions on the state payroll and 17 for Research Foundation positions. During this time, eight state payroll and seven Research Foundation searches closed. To date, there are 146 active searches for the state payroll and 22 active searches for the Research Foundation, for a total of 168 active searches for this quarter — the highest number of active searches in recorded history. DEI conducted virtual search orientations for faculty and staff serving on search committees. A total of 123 employees attended five training sessions during October, November and December.

Updates to the search process include ensuring that search committee members are registered for training in advance of the posting of approved searches. DEI aspires to have committee members trained prior to the review of applications to apply search committee training principles at the start of the search process. DEI continues to work with campus entities to move the training online in Interview Exchange to add efficiency to the process. Lastly, DEI met with one search firm this quarter to reiterate the importance of providing the institution with voluntary self-disclosure materials from candidates who apply for executive roles.

Communication and Operations

The communications manager (CM) made updates to the website including a redesign of the division landing page and the UDiversity section as the first phase of the planned website redesign. The CM developed a hate crime and bias incident brochure and accompanying 12x18 poster as part of a campaign to help the general campus community understand what a bias incident is and how to report it. The CM also wrote several stories highlighting diversity on campus as well as recognizing heritage months — Latin Heritage Month and Native American Heritage Month — with content that connects to campus initiatives. The CM edited and designed a 20-page Annual Report that highlights the work of the division through the academic year 2021-2022. The associate director of operations developed and rolled out a new divisional onboarding process that includes a staff onboarding checklist, digital onboarding handbook, divisional staff user guide, and 30-day and 60-day check-in guidelines.

Affirmative Action and Bias Response

During this quarter, the Affirmative Action Office (AAO) received 10 bias incident reports and no discrimination complaints. There were no requests for ADA workplace accommodations from faculty/staff. The AAO led two training sessions on “Responding to a Bias Incident” with 20 employees in attendance. On Oct. 6, the AAO assisted the NYS Division of Human Rights (DHR) in hosting a listening session at the University Downtown Center in collaboration with community partners. Participants could attend in person or via Zoom. This is an initiative tasked by Gov. Kathy Hochul for DHR to organize regional hate and bias prevention councils.

AAO led the coordination of the October Faculty/Staff of Color Social Mixer in celebration of Latinx Heritage month. More than 60 faculty and staff attended the event held in the Innovative Technologies Complex Rotunda. The gathering allowed for the promotion of the University’s current affinity groups as well as several community partners. In celebration of Latinx Heritage Month, a local Latin band, “Sabor Latino,” provided live festive music.

UDiversity Educational Institute

During this quarter, the UDiversity Educational Institute provided 26 workshops — 19 for students, five for staff and faculty and two for community members. A total of 852 participants (697 undergraduate students, 39 graduate students, 24 faculty, 33 staff, and 94 community members) attended. The UDiversity Educational Institute also conducted its Ensuring Wellness for All Patients workshop for staff at the Care Compass Network, an organization whose mission it is to advance healthcare delivery through developing strong and resilient partnerships, the coordination of care and the reduction of healthcare expenses. This workshop examined ways to build cultural awareness and foster equity within healthcare.

UDiversity provided workshops on cultural competency for student-athletes, Center for Civic Engagement student staff, the Leaders in Engagement, Advocacy and Democracy Program, Master in Public Health students, Decker Advising and student ambassadors, the Dean of Students Office and students from the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science. We also continued our campus-wide workshop series on inclusive organizations. Various student groups, including sororities and fraternities, requested specialized workshops for their organizations. We fulfilled a request to present on cultivating queer communities, where the focus was on the importance of inclusivity and belonging.

For the first time, UDiversity had the opportunity to present inclusive recruitment and best practices to the acapella community and the Education Minor Steering Committee. Diversifying Coding, a group from Watson College founded on diversity, equity and inclusion, participated in a two-part cultural competency workshop series. This quarter we were able to present to the entire first-year and transfer cohort of students from the School of Management, where participants explored team power dynamics and practices, their influence on organizational culture, and how to create inclusive policies and programs within the workplace.

UDiversity provided cultural competency training for student leaders as part of the Harpur’s Ferry Annual Conference. Attendance for this event demonstrated the importance and need for diversity education in the human and health services fields.

Presentations this quarter include:

October 2022

• True Colors Team Building: TAPS (staff, one session)
• Building Bridges to Cultural Competence Part I: CCE (students, graduate students, staff, one session)
• Cultural Competency in the Workplace: SOM (students, one session)
• Cultural Competency for Res Life Dickenson (students, one session)
• D-Coding Cultural Competence (students, one session)
• Creating Inclusive Organizations Part II (faculty, staff, one session)
• Building Bridges to Cultural Competence for LEAD (students, one session)
• Building Bridges to Cultural Competence for Athletics (students, one session)
• Inclusive Pedagogy Part II (faculty, one session)
• Creating Inclusive Organizations Education Minor Steering Comm. (students, one session)
• Building Bridges to Cultural Competency Part II: CCE (students, graduate students, staff, one session)

November 2022

• Harpur’s Ferry Conference (students, one session)
• Inclusive Pedagogy III (faculty, one session)
• Building Bridges to Cultural Competence: UNIV 101 (students, one session)
• Cultivating Queer Communities UNIV 101 (students, one session)
• Health Equity: Phi Delta Epsilon (students, one session)
• Inclusive Recruitment and Retention: Change of Tone (students, one session)
• Ensuring Wellness I: Care Compass Network (community members, one session)
• Ensuring Wellness II: Care Compass Network (community members, one session)
• Building Bridges to Cultural Competence Part I: MPH First Year (graduate students, one session)
• Creating Inclusive Organizations: Alpha Omega Epsilon (students, one session)
• Building Bridges to Cultural Competence: Decker Advising (students, faculty, staff, one session)
• Building Bridges to Cultural Competence Part II: MPH First Year (graduate students, one session)
• Building Bridges to Cultural Competence Part I: Dean of Students (students, graduate students, one session)

December 2022

• D-Coding Cultural Competence II (students, graduate students, one session)
• Stereotypes/Perceptions APOTK (students, one session)

Upcoming workshop:

• Inclusive Pedagogy IV